Advocacy | Community | Health & Wellbeing | Home & Family | Money & WorkEvery year, lawmakers in the U.S. Virgin Islands negotiate a contract to provide health insurance for government workers and retirees. Never easy, the task used to be more difficult because details of the plan were kept largely under wraps until late in the process. That resulted in deadline pressures and rumors about cost and coverage. Earlier this year, the nonprofit St. Croix Government Retirees Inc.—trained in advocacy by AARP—successfully pressed for a new law that streamlines the process and makes …

Advocacy | Community | Health & WellbeingVI Government employees and retirees can breathe a little easier now, thanks to Senator Nereida Rivera-O’Reilly’s commitment to fulfilling a promise she made to the St. Croix Government Retirees, Inc. Bill 31-0016, an Act to require simultaneous submissions of a copy of the government’s proposed health insurance contract be sent to the Governor and the Legislature upon completion of the GESC’s negotiations, streamlines the process to obtain adequate funding and keeps the public aware of the contract’s status. The Bill, …

Money & WorkVirgin Islanders pay as much as five times the average U.S. rate for electricity, but the price is on its way down, providing relief for people on fixed incomes. Some older residents have been using candles at night to save on energy costs. The territory traditionally has relied on imported crude oil to generate electricity. Recent moves to develop alternative energy sources have brought down the price, however, and consumer advocates expect the trend to continue. AARP Virgin Islands is …

Home & FamilyKeeping in touch nowadays increasingly requires the use of a computer, and as AARP is proving, it doesn’t have to be complicated. AARP Virgin Islands recently worked with Rotary Club of St. Thomas-Sunrise to provide AARP RealPad tablets to students with special needs at SeaView Adolescent Center on St. Thomas. Wi-Fi enabled and preloaded with apps, the RealPad is designed to be easy to use for anyone new to computer technology. AARP also plans to work with the V.I. Department …